Our Fundraiser is Now Live!

Ori Gallery’s Fundraiser to
Renovate the House Next Door is Now Live!

Who are we?

Ori Gallery is both an organizing collective and a physical art space located in the historically Black Mississippi neighborhood in Portland, OR. Borne of our shared dreams for autonomy, agency, and abundance as Black Queer Trans creators; we were founded by and for community members seeking to carve out our own spaces rather than fighting for recognition from primarily white institutions. 

Since Ori’s creation in 2018, in collaboration with individual community members, sibling grassroots organizations and major arts institutions in the city, we have produced individual and group art exhibitions, hosted and lead community workshops, provided free organizing space to the public, hosted mutual aid campaigns, professional development for artists and organizers and much more.

Ori provides a chance to tell our stories without filters or gatekeepers, a chance to create healing spaces filled with images that reflect our lives as told by us, a chance to be unapologetically ourselves and affirmed as such by our peers without the scrutiny of the dominant hegemony.

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What do we need? 

Following a fire this January in the house next door, the nonprofit that owns the land our gallery and said house is on was in jeopardy of losing the entire lot due to extensive restoration costs. That also meant we were in danger of losing the space we have built community in and around for over 5 years. However, with the support of our community, we’ve begun discussions to purchase our gallery outright plus the lot it’s on, house included. 

Within the first year of Ori opening its doors, we had already outgrown our space. With this land, we would be able to expand beyond the 400sq ft exhibition space and offer our community:

     > Outdoor Events
     > Permanent Low-income Housing for Black Creatives
     > Housing for Artists in Residence
     > Larger Art Productions and Exhibits

We have also seen first-hand how great the Portland artist community’s need for accessible housing is. We are eager to see what we can do with this land. Dream into it with us…

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Ask

As we are in discussion with lawyers and preparing to assume responsibility for the property and restoration process, we've identified the following costs

     > $250,000.00 to restore the fire damaged areas and make the house safe to use, by Spring 2024

     > $1,000,000.00 to get the building up to code, meet current accessibility standards, and resume full exhibitions, residencies and community programming as soon as possible.

Help us keep our momentum by supporting our efforts to secure this space for years to come by donating to our fundraiser here.

Ori Art Gallery is an Oregon public benefit company and 501(c)3 organization.

Summer Artist in Residency: Geeta Lewis, At the Intersection

What and who I am are more than can be observed, from across the street. I am Black, fat and of average height. My body suggests a feminine distribution of curves. Not much more than that can be determined, even when I’m close enough to touch. However, without a close shave and makeup, one may deduce that I’m transgender.

A cursory assessment of the surface details doesn't allow for a meaningful understanding of anyone, including me.

What I am is a creative, compassionate human being. If anyone chooses to “know” who I am, they must begin at the intersection of a lifetime filled with nuanced narratives and thoughtful self-reflections.

Who I am continues to be shaped, continues to evolve within the crucible of my lived experiences. Everything I’ve overheard, been told or taught, everything I’ve seen and done in response to the world around me has helped shape my core beliefs. It’s allowed me to develop a language of words and glyphs as tools. Those tools help me to navigate a life less ordinary than what was predicted for me.

Join me as I explore (through the tools at my disposal) the joys, the horrors and my “promises to keep”; yet to be realized. I hope we get to learn something about one another at the intersection of time and place that we’ve chosen to share.

Geeta Lewis
Ori Gallery Exhibition, July 2023

So what's up with the house next to Ori Gallery?

In 2018, when Roux and Maya were searching for a piece of real estate to house our dreams, they found four walls and a roof, a “Lil Box” if you will, next to a low-income housing collective. We’re still in the process of finding out where our Lil Box came from (who built it and when?) but, we do know it belongs to Portland Collective Housing (“PCH”); more specifically, PCH’s Mississippi branch managed it. Sadly, this January there was a fire in the Mississippi house, which displaced all its residents and left the wider collective with some conundrums. As of right now, here are some points we’ve been able to clear up between us. 

1. Perhaps obviously, The house needs repairs as soon as possible. The interim status has been impacting our ability to operate within the gallery.

2. PCH, no longer has the member count to sustain the Mississippi House or it’s restorations so, 

3. PCH wants to transfer the whole of the property to Ori to help us maintain a role on Mississippi specifically. However, 

4. PCH is working tirelessly to plumb its institutional knowledge and gather details on mortgage, restoration needs and cost, provenance, etc. 

All this said, we’re in a holding pattern wherein our imaginings of the shape of Ori’s future operations and resources are changing daily. 

While there is great excitement around the potential for Ori to continue its mission with a larger footprint on Mississippi, offering artist residencies, hosting outdoor events and larger art productions, and more; negotiations and legal consultations have been a distraction from our primary goals as an organization. 

“But what help can I offer? WIth y’all in Limbo and such” you say. We’re so happy you ask, and we’re beyond honored to have your support. 

• Show up to Geeta’s show 

• Donate 

• Hook us up with help and connects: looking for roofers and remodeling/restorations

• Keep a lookout for our next moves and continue showing up with/for us